Warders held in helicopter raid
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Warders held in helicopter raid
From today's Electronic Telegraph :
TWO warders were being held hostage at a high security jail south of Paris last night after a helicopter escape by armed convicts was thwarted.
The hijacked aircraft, piloted by a woman with a gun at her back, appeared over Fresnes prison during the afternoon with six men inside. It lowered a rope ladder and dropped a bag containing weapons and bullet proof vests to several prisoners waiting on the roof.
Guards in the watchtowers exchanged fire with the helicopter, which flew to a nearby football pitch and landed while a match was in progress. The convicts, all serving long sentences for murder or armed robbery, grabbed the weapons but were prevented from escaping by fire from the towers.
It also appeared that the rope ladder was not long enough. The prisoners, armed with two pistols and a rifle, took three guards hostage, one of whom was quickly released. Another guard was hit in the chest during the gun battle and taken to hospital.
Blood was found in the helicopter, suggesting that one of the raiders had been hit. All escaped after an operation that had lasted only three or four minutes. The pilot, who had been taken hostage earlier in the day, was found unharmed with the aircraft.
A huge force of police, riot police and special forces units laid siege to the jail as negotiations to free the warders went on. Helicopter raids have led to nine spectacular French jailbreaks in recent years.
The last was in 1999 when five prisoners escaped from Marseille prison in a helicopter hijacked by two accomplices. One prisoner was killed and the others were quickly recaptured.
TWO warders were being held hostage at a high security jail south of Paris last night after a helicopter escape by armed convicts was thwarted.
The hijacked aircraft, piloted by a woman with a gun at her back, appeared over Fresnes prison during the afternoon with six men inside. It lowered a rope ladder and dropped a bag containing weapons and bullet proof vests to several prisoners waiting on the roof.
Guards in the watchtowers exchanged fire with the helicopter, which flew to a nearby football pitch and landed while a match was in progress. The convicts, all serving long sentences for murder or armed robbery, grabbed the weapons but were prevented from escaping by fire from the towers.
It also appeared that the rope ladder was not long enough. The prisoners, armed with two pistols and a rifle, took three guards hostage, one of whom was quickly released. Another guard was hit in the chest during the gun battle and taken to hospital.
Blood was found in the helicopter, suggesting that one of the raiders had been hit. All escaped after an operation that had lasted only three or four minutes. The pilot, who had been taken hostage earlier in the day, was found unharmed with the aircraft.
A huge force of police, riot police and special forces units laid siege to the jail as negotiations to free the warders went on. Helicopter raids have led to nine spectacular French jailbreaks in recent years.
The last was in 1999 when five prisoners escaped from Marseille prison in a helicopter hijacked by two accomplices. One prisoner was killed and the others were quickly recaptured.
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I saw it on the news this morning, it looked like a single squirrel to me, I guess the hijackers didnt know much about helicopters if there were already six in it!!!! Either that or they werent planning on picking much else up/not planning to go very far!
Regards
HoverBover
Regards
HoverBover
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Latest update from Electronic Telegraph
French prisoners release hostages
TWO inmates of a French prison yesterday released the two guards they held hostage for 18 hours after an attempt to escape by helicopter went awry.
Mounir Ben Bouabdellah, 25, gave himself up to prison officers immediately after releasing the guards. Christophe Khider, 30, remained barricaded in the prison south of Paris for two hours before he also surrendered two hours later.
The prisoners, who are serving sentences for murder and armed robbery, set their hostages free after a night of tense negotiations with a specialised rapid intervention unit.
The drama started on Sunday when accomplices hijacked a helicopter and tried to pluck the two inmates from the roof of Fresnes prison. But they failed to catch hold of the rope ladder and instead grabbed a bag of guns thrown to them.
They opened fire on several prison officers, critically wounding one. The hostages were unhurt.
French prisoners release hostages
TWO inmates of a French prison yesterday released the two guards they held hostage for 18 hours after an attempt to escape by helicopter went awry.
Mounir Ben Bouabdellah, 25, gave himself up to prison officers immediately after releasing the guards. Christophe Khider, 30, remained barricaded in the prison south of Paris for two hours before he also surrendered two hours later.
The prisoners, who are serving sentences for murder and armed robbery, set their hostages free after a night of tense negotiations with a specialised rapid intervention unit.
The drama started on Sunday when accomplices hijacked a helicopter and tried to pluck the two inmates from the roof of Fresnes prison. But they failed to catch hold of the rope ladder and instead grabbed a bag of guns thrown to them.
They opened fire on several prison officers, critically wounding one. The hostages were unhurt.
